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"Moses said to Yahveh: Show me Your glory. Yahveh said to Moses: I will make all My Goodness pass
before you. I shall show favor to whom I shall show favor, and I shall show mercy to whom I shall show mercy. Yahveh further
said to Moses: You will not be able to see My face, for no man may see My face and live." Exodus 33:18-20
This conversation took place after Yahveh agreed to continue to guide the Israelites as He had done
before the Sin of the Golden Calf. Moses wanted to come closer to Yahveh - through seeing His glory. Yahveh’s response,
however, seems strange.
"I shall show favor to whom I show favor, and I shall show mercy to whom I shall show mercy" contradict
Yahveh’s Word to Moses forty years later - just before his death:
"The Rock (Yahveh) - perfect is His work, for all His ways are Justice.
El of Faith and without iniquity, Righteous and Upright is He." Deuteronomy
32:4
How can "I shall show favor to whom I show favor, and I shall show mercy to those whom I shall show
mercy" be an example of fairness and "all goodness"?
Does the Almighty show favoritism?
In all instances where Moses refers to the sin of the Golden Calf, he uses the word 'chet', and never
'avon' or 'pesha'. This is significant in that the word 'chet' denotes a sin that was caused
by carelessness, rather than a deliberate attempt to rebel against Yahveh's laws. That explains why Moses used that word in
the people's favor: "Behold this people sinned a great chet and made themselves an idol
out of gold, and now, forgive their sins." Exodus 32:31-2 Their chet was indeed great, but it was still only
a chet, not an avon or pesha.
Yahveh's message was and still is, that the chet (unintentional sin) needed repentance in the same way
as the more obvious sins coming under the categories of avon and pesha. Forgiveness is only available through full
repentance. Carelessness indicates a weakness in one's relationship with the Almighty in the realm of observing His commandments.
Had the Israelites shown the faith and closeness that was required of them in following the Mount Sinai Commandments, they
would have been able to prevent the Sin of the Golden Calf.
Yahveh did showed Moses 'all His goodness' but He did not give Israel a free pardon. By stating that
chet required repentance the same as avon and pesha, He implied that to
receive His goodness one had to be close to Him, and that could only be achieved through repentance and holy living. Those
were the standards Yahveh expected of His chosen people following the Revelation at Mount Sinai.
Thus 'I shall show favor to whom I shall show favor, and I shall show mercy to whom I shall show mercy' applied to those
who repented so completely that they would never bring themselves into a situation where they would be likely to sin even
through carelessness. Only "Yahveh knows their hearts and understands all their deeds." Psalm 33:15 Moses did not know the
true spiritual situation of each one of the Israelites.
Yahveh does not act out of favoritism. Moses misunderstood His words, that He would favor those He would favor.
The Almighty, being able to fully understand our deepest thoughts, is always "Perfect...
all His ways are justice... without iniquity, Righteous and Upright is He!" Deuteronomy
32:4
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